The discovery of three groups of chairs with related design and construction characteristics, and with early histories based near the Fredericksburg-Falmouth area of Virginia has prompted further appraisal of chair-making in the region. Each chair features a crest rail, which may be characteristic to Tidewater Virginia down into the Albemarle Sound region of North Carolina.

One of the earliest marked examples of southern salt-glazed stoneware is a jug produced by B. Duval & Company in Richmond, Virginia. Owned by apothecary Benjamin Duval, the company manufactured pottery to complement Duval’s medicine business. The jug is now on display at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

A rare American-made silver mounted sword is on display at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. The sword demonstrates the craftsmanship of the Richardson brothers, two Virginia silversmiths. According to family histories connected with Richardson silver, their patrons were from Richmond’s wealthiest and most prominent families.